


Grounded

by logictron



Category: Valor (TV)
Genre: Background Poly, F/M, Light BDSM, Multi, Polyamory, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-15 18:24:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13619082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logictron/pseuds/logictron
Summary: Follow-up to Almost. Sort of post-ep for Got Your Six. Thea comes back from Berlin less successful than she expected. She takes it hard. Magnus isn't having it.





	Grounded

**Author's Note:**

> Continuing in this little verse. Not sure for how long. I just can't reconcile the finale without wrapping them up, so there might be more of this.
> 
> Standard kink disclaimer: everyone is consenting. Don't use ropes (or any restraints at all) if you don't know how to do it safely. Etc Etc.

Thea comes back from Berlin defeated. It's nothing she hoped for, nothing any of them had hoped for. It's literally nothing at all. Goundry's still in the wind, he could be absolutely anywhere, and it's her fault. Magnus can say otherwise all he wants, but it's true. She'd recruited him. No matter what else happened, all of this was on her shoulders. And it plays like a mantra in her head the entire 9 hours on the plane.

Her flight back is through DC, so, not home. She has two hours between landing and her connecting flight back to Georgia, but she's barely off the plane when she spots Magnus, waiting expectantly. Thea's honestly not sure if she's relieved or pissed, but he reaches for her bag and when his fingers brush hers, she knows it's the former. She has to blink away tears.

"I pushed your flight," he explains simply. "Got us a hotel."

It's at least a four hour drive between here and Langley, on a good day, traffic on 95 permitting. The fact that he's here isn't lost on her.

"Why?" she asks.

"Because you've been beating yourself up all week," he says simply, walking a little closer to her, nudging her with his elbow. "And that's my job."

Thea actually laughs, and, for now, she believes him.

The hotel is way fancier than the agency would pay for, so Thea knows this came out of his own pocket. And dinner is nothing to sniff at either. Anytime she tries to talk about work, he seamlessly changes the subject. And it would piss her off, were it anyone else, but after dinner, she admittedly feels calmer, so obviously what he's doing is working.

"I know I told you I'd take care of you when you got back, but things'll have to wait a bit," Magnus informs her once they're back in the room.

"I understand, sir." And she absolutely does. This is already so much more than she was expecting.

"I can't have you the way that I want to, but I think we can make it work," Magnus muses, already rummaging through his bag. "Strip for me."

He's so forward about it, so conversational, that Thea smiles even as she obliges him. Richard would take his time, even here. He'd either undress her himself or make damn sure he paid attention while she did it. But that's why Magnus and Richard made such a solid team: they were almost perfect opposites in every way.

Thea's down to her panties before she realizes she's thinking about Richard in the past tense.

"Thea." Magnus' voice snaps her out of it. "I'm waiting." He's holding a coil of familiar, black rope. It's a little frayed, but still functions just fine. She refocuses gratefully on the present.

He orders her onto the bed, on her stomach, and ties her arms behind her, the rope winding from her biceps downward, ending in a neat knot at her wrists. She doesn't need to see it to know exactly what he's done.

"I'm only going to ask you once, do you think you can stay quiet?" The walls of the hotel are thin. She realizes they've never played anywhere remotely public.

"I don't know," Thea replies honestly. The point of their arrangement had morphed a long time ago from training into release. Since coming home from Dubai, where she'd been used on a whim at every conceivable opportunity, that's all this has been about. Magnus has never asked her to control herself.

"Would you like me to gag you?" He rounds to the front of her so she can look at him.

"N-no, sir." She shakes her head. "I'll try to be quiet."

Magnus seems to consider for a moment and then nods, reaching for a pillow, pulling her back onto her knees by the rope. With the pillow tucked under her hips, he releases her again with an appreciative hum.

"Count for me."

True to form, he barely gives her time to process the command before he lands his first blow, his palm stinging against her ass, a familiar heat blossoming under her skin.

"One," she breathes, pressing her cheek against the cool sheets, wishing they smelled less like hotel and more like Magnus. Or Richard. Like home.

"Good girl," he praises, somehow managing patronizing alongside genuine affection. It's the perfect thing to ground her.

The next one is harder, but not by much, and lower, closer to her thigh. Thea can't resist shifting, angling her hips to offer more of herself to him. "Two."

"Ah, there she is. Just like that." Magnus' left hand sweeps the hair away from her face before sliding down over her bound arms to settle at the small of her back.

He sets a rhythm after that,content that she's settling into things. Like she needs. Like she's trained to do.

Thea's tears find her silently, welling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks, the waver in her voice the only thing that gives her away. Except Magnus knows before the first tear falls. He knows before that.

She gets to 26 before he stops, and it takes Thea a full minute to realize he's done. His hand is still on her back. He's still right there, but the blows stop, leaving her whole body just humming. Floating.

"You're going to come for me," Magnus murmurs, bent over her, his lips brushing her ear.

"Yes, sir." Thea's voice is barely audible, speaking taking effort and energy she doesn't have right now.

His fingers drag over her just once before sinking into her and that's where she loses the battle to stay quiet. Thea cries out, straining against the ropes for the first time, her body shuddering.

"You did all you could," he murmurs, stroking slowly, carefully inside her. "Do you understand that, Thea?"

She shakes her head hesitantly. Lying isn't an option. Not to him. Not like this.

"Have I ever lied to you? Have I ever given you anything you didn't deserve?" His fingers slow even more,making her whine softly.

"No." For the better part of the last five years, he's only made sure she's gotten exactly what she needs. That makes her feel better, more sure.

"You did all you could," Magnus repeats. "Tell me."

"I did all I could." The words come out more clearly than she expects. Magnus hums his approval, filling her again, adding a third finger.

"Such a good girl. Quiet now, and don't come until I tell you to."

It's a needless reminder. Thea doubts she's even capable of disobeying anymore, they've conditioned her perfectly. Still, her body trembles at the building pleasure, winding tighter and tighter with every perfect curl of his fingers.

The weight of everything melts away. When she's here, she exists for him only. Nothing else matters. Her definition of freedom.

"Now."

Her body obliges instantly, the pleasure sweeping through her so swiftly, it renders her breathless and trembling, enough that the bed frame rattles against the wall. And Magnus doesn't relent, instead coaxing her further, seamlessly demanding more of her, until the pleasure doesn't ebb at all, until it's just a haze.

By the time she settles back into herself, Magnus has untied her, undoubtedly having inspected every inch of her to ensure she's safely in one piece. Just as he'd done before she'd left for Berlin, he gathers her in his arms, carefully arranging her under the sheets, holding her close.

Everything's still hazy. Thea can't process anything beyond the bed. But that's the point. The float-y feeling, the one where all of her senses are dulled and quiet, had scared the hell out of her the first time she'd felt it. Richard had spent over an hour calming her down, soothing her as she came back into herself. Knowing what it is now, knowing she's safe and that it'll fade, she relishes it.

"You ready for a drink?" Magnus reaches for the glass on the end table. Of course he's prepared. She sips gratefully, finishing off the water before settling again.

"You really think I did what I could?" she asks.

"Kid, I sent you because you were the best possible person for the job. If you couldn't find him, no one would've been able to," Magnus replies. "And I certainly didn't waste my time driving up here to tell you that if I didn't mean it."

The last of her insecurities fade at that. Frustration lingers, still, but right now, it's safely locked outside of this room. She'll deal with that tomorrow.

"Are you staying, sir?" she asks, the boneless, floating feeling giving way to exhaustion.

"Nowhere I'd rather be. You should get some rest," Magnus says. "Anything else you need?"

"I have to pee," Thea replies, laughing softly. He chuckles, too.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that one."

With an exaggerated, whiny groan, she gets up. When she comes back, he wraps her in his arms again.

For a minute, Thea considers asking him about Richard. Whether Magnus thinks he's alive, whether he's coming home.

"Not tonight, Thea." He's not even looking at her, his attention directed to his phone, doing business no doubt, but he always knows.

"Yes, sir." She closes her eyes instead, relaxing into him with a quiet sigh.

"Wake me if you need anything. That's an order."

"Everything you say is an order," she teases.

"And yet, you still don't listen," he chides, grinning.

"Have to give you some excuse to punish me, sir." That earns her a growl and Thea giggles, pleased with herself. It makes her think of the beginning, before experience could darken her.

"We both know I don't need an excuse for that."

"Guess not," Thea agrees, opening her eyes when he kisses her forehead.

"Sleep. I know you didn't get any rest on the flight."

She can't argue with him and she doesn't particularly want to. He turns off the light and she closes her eyes again, yawning. Sleep claims her minutes later. She needs it more than she'd realized. Tomorrow, she'll get back to work.


End file.
